Denver pressure
1. The Broncos rushed five or more players on 18 of Patrick Mahomes’ 40 drop-backs (45 percent). Their two sacks came with extra rushers. Linebackers Von Miller and split a sack in 3.13 seconds (five-man pressure), and safety Dymonte Thomas had his first career sack in 2.03 seconds (six-man pressure).
Kansas City pressure
2. Kansas City rushed five or more players on only eight of ’s 41 drop-backs (19.5 percent). Four of its five sacks came with a four-man rush. The times were 3.44, 2.53, 2.46, 2.84 and 3.97 seconds. On the sub-3 second sacks, we booked right tackle /center , Turner and left tackle Garett Bolles.
Go-ahead touchdown
3. The Chiefs took the lead for good (10-7) in the second quarter. Mahomes’ 40-yard pass to Tyreek Hill came on a quick slant (31 yards after the catch) and missed tackles by safety and linebacker Josey Jewell. Two plays later, cornerback was lined up on the goal line and bit on tight end ’s subtle outside juke move, opening him up for a nine-yard touchdown catch.
Marshall’s limited action
4. Linebacker Brandon Marshall’s lingering knee injury limited him to 17 of 58 snaps. Josey Jewell picked up that work (37 snaps). Interestingly, the Broncos dressed five cornerbacks, but Adam Jones and Issac Yiadom did not play a defensive snap.
RPO problems
5. Defending the run-pass option (RPO) play is particularly difficult for the inside linebackers, who see the guard darting up the field and are thinking run play only to see Mahomes throw to Kelce in the flat. “If I’m and I’m playing run and I see the linemen climbing, I’m going to play run and not play Kelce in the flat,” coach said. “Itap a league-wide issue. We have to figure out a way to officiate this better to help the game.”
Cheating allowed?
6. The Chiefs have not been called for an illegal man downfield penalty all season. It is probably like driving 43 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone: Itap cheating by the letter of the law but you won’t be pulled over. “Itap going to take a lot more than words, itap going to take some personnel changes in my opinion to officiate this game better so we can have it come back to the defense just a little bit,” Joseph said.
Critical fourth down
7. The Chiefs broke the game open on Kareem Huntap 23-yard touchdown with 5:12 left in the third quarter. On fourth-and-1, Mahomes ran a down-the-line option before shifting his momentum and shoveling a forward pass to Hunt. Chubb wasn’t in position to make the tackle because he had to honor the option. Missed tackles: Davis/defensive lineman Shelby Harris (20-yard line), Roby (15-yard line), safety (eight-yard line) and Simmons (five-yard line).
Bad turnovers
8. Devonte Booker tied a career-high with a 26-yard rush in the fourth quarter. Receivers Tim Patrick and , fullback and Bolles made downfield blocks. The drive stalled, though. was stopped for a one-yard loss and a two-yard gain. On third-and-9, Keenum was sacked and fumbled. On the Broncos’ next drive, Lindsay carried for 11, five and five yards on consecutive plays before a flea flicker resulted in an interception.
Chris Harris’ standout plays
9. Cornerback Chris Harris made the Thomas sack possible in the fourth quarter. Mahomes wanted to throw quickly to receiver Demarcus Robinson, but Harris flashed into the passing lane. Thomas was unblocked from the other side. Earlier in the game, Harris dodged a Hunt crack-back block (that resulted in a penalty) to still make the tackle.
Clock management
10. Needing to score twice in the final four minutes, the Broncos’ time management left a lot to be desired. They needed 10 plays and 2:12 of game time to make it 30-23, finally scoring with 1:48 remaining. They used 16, 14, 14 and 14 seconds between plays — it would have cost a down but a clock-stopping spike may have allowed them to score before the two-minute warning.
